Quintessentially, believing that any stabilization mission in Gaza needs to ground international support in a credible, sustainable political and legal mandate that meets the needs of the moment while paving the way to an independent Palestinian statehood, the Trump Administration, on November 18, despite Israel’s opposition to the phrasing of establishing Palestinian statehood in the US moved resolution, succeeded in securing UN’s Security Council approval for Trump’s Gaza peace plan, including deploying an International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, for a period of 2 years. Hence, the ISF would play its role—under the umbrella of the Board of Peace formed by President Trump – amid hopes could face intricate political, security and operational challenges, including gaining the consent and trust of all parties, operating in an active and dangerous conflict zone, and navigating severe humanitarian and infrastructural crises. As per the proposed peace plans, the ISF will play its significant role in fulfilling three basic objectives: Security & Disarmament, Humanitarian Aid & Reconstruction, and Political Transition & Governance.

First: Security & Disarmament: the ISF would work to stabilize the security situation in Gaza, allowing for a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces (IDF) from cleared areas. In this regard, a primary objective would be to disarm non-state armed groups by destroying and preventing the reconstruction of military and terror infrastructure, including tunnels and weapons production facilities. In order to ensure ceasefire compliance, the force would monitor and enforce the ceasefire agreement, responding to violations and working to prevent a return to conflict. Further, the ISF would help secure Gaza’s border areas to prevent the smuggling........

© Pakistan Observer